Bungalow Bathroom Remodel

The bathroom project is finally complete. Whew! We are thrilled with the results.

Starting with an inspiration photo, to picking out all the fixtures, to taking the room down to the studs and slowly putting it back together again; this has been the most difficult project completed in our house. So many decisions…

The updated bathroom is the project that has increased our enjoyment of the house the most. It is hard to believe that such a little room can have a big impact.

Our contractor built a door to match the original closet door and framed out a larger storage space.

Thanks. The medicine cabinet is original to the house. I have seen medicine cabinets similar to ours in Van Dykes Restorers catalog (http://www.vandykes.com) and at Restoration Hardware. Good luck with your bathroom!

I have a big smile on my face here! You have restored this bathroom to a most beautiful state! It’s very tastefully done, appropriate to the era of the home, light and bright and clean, totally functional, every single detail from the switch plates to the threshold is absolutely perfect … there is nothing even the slightest bit wrong, everything is so right! Truly amazing. All of the other work you’ve done on this house has been equally fabulous. If you ever sell your home, prospective buyers are going to be walking around the house with their mouths hanging open!

I want to add that your choice of lighting could not be better. Bathrooms and kitchens in homes of this age should have utility lighting, but utility doesn’t have to be unattractive. Your lighting is perfect, very simple, very appropriate, and yet so wonderful! I’m running out of superlatives. Love your blog!

Your bathroom turned out beautiful! We are struggling with our own second floor bungalow bathroom remodel. The room is no bigger than 6×8, with sloped ceilings and no windows. Due to the size, I think white paint is probably the best choice for the walls – what brand/color white did you use on your walls?

Cathy,
Our bathroom is small, too, but we are lucky to have a window. Going with white in our bathroom has definitely made it feel brighter and perhaps a little larger. The paint is Benjamin Moore. I started with Paper White but hand mixed in other paint samples until I got a color I liked. Good luck!

I have been following your trials and tribulations about your bungalow for years now. I LOVE your new bathroom. It is absolutely gorgeous. My husband and I own a 1910 wood frame Chicago-style bungalow and are looking to restore it to it’s original glory. Your story has been our inspiration! Keep up the great work!

Ryan,
We got our fan and fan cover from KitchenSource.com. It says they have discontinued the fan cover: http://www.kitchensource.com/bathroom-fans/lu-bf1222.htm
You may be able to find it elsewhere online. It is called Luminance Traditional Bathroom Fan Grate. I really liked that it could be painted.

Thanks! I had a difficult time finding just the right shade of soft gray, one that wasn’t too blue or too green, so I hand mixed my own color. For a similar color I recommend trying Farrow & Ball Pale Powder, Donald Kaufman DKC-37, Pratt & Lambert Pearl White or Benjamin Moore Horizon OC-53.

HI,
I’m in the process of picking out fixtures, floor etc.. to re-do my vintage bathroom. Could you please tell me, where did you get the medicine cabinet? What are the dimensions?
You bathroom looks great. Its just the look I’m going for. Thanks so much for your help.
Sharon

Your remodel is absolutely beautiful, actually gorgeous! My question is similar to others as I grew up in one of these tubs and how does a 6′ 7″ person get a decent shower and the answer to that is they don’t. In addition getting in to and out of a ball and claw tub is a safety issue. At this stage in my life taking a shower should not be considered risky behavior. That being said it looks fantastic, congratulations I hope you enjoy it for years to come.

I’ve been enjoying your before/after photos. I’m working on a bungalow remodel too. Where did you get your shower curtain rod? Are you happy with it or does it make the shower curtain a little too “friendly”?

Hi! We got our shower rod from DEA Bath. It was a close-out. They only had nickel plated left in 38″ and our tub is 30″ wide. But, it was on sale and a great price so I hoped it wouldn’t look ridiculous once it was installed over the tub. It looks great and the extra 4″ on each side actually makes it feel less claustrophobic and the shower curtain not so friendly!

The shower rod is very heavy and great construction. It has held up beautifully. Here is a link to a shower rod like the one we purchased: Ultimate I Wall Mounted Shower Hoop (at the bottom of the page): http://deabath.com/SHWR/Ultimate/ultimate.html

Are you reusing existing doors and painting them? If you are using new, where are you getting your five panel doors from? Love everything about your bungalow look. We are adding on to / remodeling some of a ~1920 four-square farmhouse and you have brought to life the look I hope to accomplish!

Hi! We are reusing our existing doors. We have purchased a few doors from salvage yards for the places where doors were missing. We have a lot to choose from locally, but I have seen salvage yards or architectural salvage places online. Hope this helps!

Hi Heather, your pictures are lovely and inspiration, and VERY similar to our bungalow remodel in progress (however, we are having to use beadboard on the walls instead of subway tile due to the slope of our floors.) Is the upper half paint color “Paper White” with custom color tweaking? Thanks!

I’ve read and re read your site, poured over images and longed for your lovely home for years. Well done, you two… Erm, three. I have a question re: your claw foot tub/shower. Now that you have lived with it for some time, how does it work for you? I have a deep love of old homes and aesthetics like yours. My beloved hubby prefers more modern and convenience. We are on the cusp of remodeling kitchen and bath. I’ve listed after a clawfoot or pedestal tub since childhood. Realistically, we need something that won’t drive my hubby nuts but works for our 1912 house w/ it’s mini bathroom. No chance of adding a separate shower stall so…. Your thoughts? Thank you so much and congratulations both on your beautiful home and your beautiful daughter!

The claw foot tub question…
We were coming from just a bathtub with no shower. After 5+ yrs of that my hubby was thrilled to have any type of shower. I’m a bathtub person and never use the shower. So maybe we aren’t the best people to ask. My husband doesn’t “mind” the shower, but likes a “regular” shower better.

Like you, I lusted after a claw foot tub for a long time. The truth is once you are in the tub you really don’t notice the difference. If having a “proper” shower is really important to your husband, I would look at the deep, tiled in tubs and traditional style showers from the 1920′s and get the hand held shower attachment (super convenient for washing your hair if you’re a bath person). Even being a bath person, I’m not necessarily sure I would do a claw foot tub again. Don’t get me wrong, I really like it…but it is not the must have that I thought it was.

Hello. Beautiful job. I can tell you researched and agonized over every detail! Would you mind sharing what you learned about the various white subway tiles on the market, which one you chose, and why?! Thank you!!!

What is RSS?

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication" - an XML format that was created to syndicate news, and share content on the web. Many people describe it as a "news feed" that you subscribe to. The "feed" itself is simply a message, automatically sent to subscribers, that consists of a list of headlines, and in some cases, excerpts from new content. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually.

What Are the Benifits of Using RSS?

RSS is an easy way to stay up-to-date with what's happening on your favorite web sites. Because RSS feeds automatically update as stories are added to the site, you to get the information you want as soon as it is published.

How To Use RSS

You'll need an RSS reader to receive feeds from your favorite web sites. Some readers are stand alone applications that run on your desktop and behave much like common e-mail software, while others are Web-based. Also, some newer browsers can handle RSS feeds.